The present invention relates to the art of personal mobility vehicles, particularly vehicles for the physically impaired. Particular application is found in children's wheelchairs which grow and expand with the child. However, it is to be appreciated that the present invention may also be applicable to wheelchairs for adults and may be utilized to custom fit wheelchairs to adults, may enable the chair to be utilized by adults or children of different sizes, or may be applicable to other vehicles.
Heretofore, wheelchairs have been manufactured in various sizes to accomodate children as they grow. Manufacturing children's chairs in only fixed sizes would require frequent replacement of the entire chair and a large financial burden on parents. Accordingly, children's chairs have commonly been constructed to accommodate size alteration that they enable the child to use the chair over a wider range of physiological development. In one solution, the frame was constructed in modules. Various frame portions were replaced as the child grew to widen the chair, lengthen the seat, and increase the height of the back. However, replacement parts were relatively expensive, as compared to the same parts when purchased in a complete assembly. The removed modular parts tended to have even less market value than a used chair which has been outgrown. On occasion, models were discontinued during the several years a chair was in use and expansion modular parts became scarce or unavailable.
In another solution, seats of different sizes have been selectively mounted on a conventional, full size wheelchair frame. However, because the child's seat tended to be much shorter than a conventional frame, the frame extended forward significantly past the child's feet. This excessive forward extension created difficulty in maneuvering the chair and pulling up to tables and desks. Modular frame construction or add-on pieces were employed on some chairs to alter the length of the frame without affecting its structural strength.
Because the back of a small child's chair is relatively short, the push handles commonly extended well above the back to reach a convenient height for an adult to push the chair. However, the high push handles were considered offensive by many of the children. The presence of push handles, particularly highly visible push handles, tended to create an undesirable appearance of dependency.
Many children who have been confined to a wheelchair require orthopedic pads and braces, particularly for the upper body. Commonly, head pads, torso support pads, and other orthopedic pads and appliances were clamped to the seat back support tubes. In order to accommodate adjustment as the child grew and positioning the pads exactly as required by each child, great flexibility in potential mounting sites were required. Mounting screws and straps for the seat back tended to interfere with proper placement of the pads and appliances.
The present invention provides a new and improved adjustable child's wheelchair which overcomes the above reference problems, yet expands easily to accommodate a child with growth.